SAN FRANCISCO, December 02, (THEWILL) – Brazilians Neymar and Marquinhos stood tall against Manchester United’s progression into the last 16 of the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain taking a 3-1 away at Old Trafford.
In previous games against the Paris club, United had thrived on the counter. On Wednesday, they were the ones caught out on the break themselves after just six minutes.
Striker Kylian Mbappe thumped an effort into a crowd of red shirts and the ball rebounded with Neymar on hand to lash home from an acute angle.
Things could have taken a worse turn early for United when central defensive midfielder Fred appeared to headbutt PSG’s central midfielder Leandro Paredes. But, after consulting with VAR, referee Daniele Orsato only issued a yellow.
Just after the half-hour mark, Marcus Rashford continued his fine run against the Ligue 1 club when his shot deflected into the net off centre back Danilo Pereira. It was his third goal in as many matches against PSG.
Early in the second period, Rashford laid a decent throughball for forward Anthony Martial only to see the Frenchman slice over. He could have doubled their lead himself after Cavani’s lob struck the bar but Marquinhos blocked his goal-bound strike.
Seven minutes late, the PSG’s captain was involved at the other end. His headed attempt at goal struck the woodwork, before De Gea pulled off a brilliant stop to deny substitute Mitchel Bakker.
However, the resulting corner was the moment for Marquinhos as he nudged in from point-blank range after centre back Abdou Diallo had kept the attack alive. Fred’s second booking in the 70th minute ruined any hopes of another comeback.
There was even enough time for Mbappe to squander a golden opportunity to make it 3-1 himself but the striker immediately atoned for the letdown when he played through Rafinha, who kept his cool to tee up Neymar for an extra-time third goal.
The results make the group all the more interesting. United, PSG and RB Leipzig now all sit on nine points heading into the final Matchday where progression will be determined.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, who will be heading to Germany next week, still only need a point, regardless of what last season’s runners up do in their home clash with Istanbul Basaksehir.
For PSG, a draw against the Turkish side will guarantee their place in the knockout stages.
But for their next games, United will aim to secure a fourth straight Premier League victory when they take on West Ham and their former manager David Moyes on Saturday, while PSG visit Montpellier.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
